The origins and development of the theory of four stages to liberation in Theravāda Buddhism : a study based on the Pāli canonical and commentarial literature

Abstract

Among the scholars who have theorized the model of development of four stages in Indian Buddhism, I. B. Horner, George D. Bond and Peter Masefield have each contributed to the understanding of the dynamics of the evolvement of this concept. While Horner argues that arahatta became only dominant in the “monastic period” of Buddhism and sotāpanno earlier, Bond theorizes that the stage of sotāpanno and other stages developed as arahatta receded into the background of spiritual quest of the early Saṅgha. Masefield, in contrast, contends that the failure of sāvakas to bring others into arahatta results in the emergence of the four stages. While they each have attempted to model such shifts in their own frameworks, the arguments each ignores certain social factors that call for a revised understanding of the dynamics of the evolvement of the four stages. The main import of this dissertation is an investigation into the origins of the theory of the four stages to liberation and its development from its original formation in the Pāli Nikāyas to Abhidhamma and Pāli commentarial literature. The theory of the four stages to liberation is a conceptual framework that is believed to be effective in leading Buddhist practitioners to the state of arahatta. This study is based on the following assumptions: I. The theory of the four stages has no direct bearing on the spiritual attainment of the Buddha and his early disciples. II. The theory of four stages was developed as a response to different socio-religious needs. III. The theory of four stages to liberation did not remain static; rather over time the theory of four stages went through a substantial transformation as it evolved from its original formulation in the Nikāyas to its standardized elaborate theory in the Abhidhamma and Pāli commentaries. IV. The theory of four stages to liberation is a not a singular and a unilateral theory but comprises a complex network of possibilities that take into consideration various sets of religious and social conditions. This dissertation first traces the original formation of concepts of stream-enterer, once-returner and non-returner in the Pāli Nikāyas. Then it traces gradual development of these concepts in the Pāli Nikāyas to Abhidhamma and the Pāli commentarial literature. This dissertation attempts to locate the origins of the theory of four stages in context of transforming Buddhism, from the original ascetic movement to an institutionalized religion. It is argued that the theory of four stages was developed as a structure to include those who were not ready to become monastics, rather chose to lead a household life. This brings in a social dimension into the discussion of religious phenomena and interrogates the possibility of influence of extra-religious factors in shaping religious ideas. This dissertation further demonstrates that the theory of four stages went through a substantial development in the Abhidhamma and Pāli Commentarial literature. It is argued that the decline of spiritual enthusiasm among monastics and exaltation of the attainment of the four stages are causally connected.